Islam is the world's fastest growing religion with an estimated 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide. This accounts for around 20 % of the world's population and rates 2nd behind Christianity. In Spite of these numbers Islam is probably the worlds most misunderstood religion with many in the west viewing Muslims as fanatics. This stems from the increased publicity given to Islamic fundamentalists in the wake of September 11. I hope to gain more understanding of this religion by examining several of its important aspects in this paper.
             Within Islam they call God, Allah and believe he last revealed himself through the Quran which is the Muslim equivalent to the Christian bible. They accept Allah to be the creator who is all knowing and all powerful with no human attributes to limit him. The Quran is believed to have been recorded by Muhammad after revelations from the angel Gabriel. Muhammad is the prophet of Islam responsible for the religions growth. He is seen as the Final messenger of Gods word whom formulated the Muslim people into a community best prepared for life and the Judgment day which awaits everyone within it. During Muhammad's life believing he was gods chosen one Muhammad sought to not only further God's word but to improve his follower's standard of life. He eventually established Mecca as his own and enforced taxes which would allow for development. Growth continued long after Muhammad's death in 632.
             The main symbols used within Islam would be the Crescent Moon and Five Pointed Star or Venus Star. This ideogram can be found on several of the Islamic countries' national flags. The five points of the Venus star are said to represent the five pillars of Islam. Those pillars being the profession of faith, prayer, giving of a small percentage of one's income to help the poor, fasting in the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. Important words within Islam include Sunna, Jihad, Shariah, Sunnis, Shii...